Church School Admission Policies “Not Fair”

Says Dorset Humanists’ Richard Scutt in a recent letter to the Bournemouth Echo:*

Church School Admissions Policies not fair. Faith Schools Sign

Following Echo letters 29 May from Councillor Whittaker (“Church schools can expand”) and Mrs. Brigid Hincks (“How could fairness to all be achieved?”), I wonder if readers are aware that voluntary aided church schools, which are funded by and intended to serve the local community, are allowed to formulate their own admissions policies. 

These schools provide part of the stock of places for children in the local authority community yet are able to discriminate on grounds of religion.  As Mrs. Hincks says, the admission arrangements for St.Joseph’s Catholic School, Christchurch, are to be found on the school website and I urge readers to look at them.  Under “Oversubscription Criteria” they will find a list of eight categories showing that baptised Catholic children are strongly favoured, followed by children of other religions and lastly “other children”. Surely this should not be the case in what should be inclusive community schools. Furthermore the proliferation of Free Schools and Academies, some of which are under religious control, will make this divisive situation worse. 

An article in the Echo, May 24 told of how a child had missed out on a place at St. Joseph’s because the mother had not submitted her baptism certificate with the application form. This despite living next door to the school and having a sister already attending it! 

Richard Scutt

*The Echo titled Richard’s letter  ‘Surely every school should be inclusive’.

Promoting Dorset Humanists

Please help our Humanist community in Dorset to reach more people by displaying our meeting posters. Some places where you might post them include your local community centre, halls of residence, libraries, community noticeboards, newsagents etc.

Simply click the poster images below to download A4 size PDF files that you can print. If you don’t have a printer you can also collect posters for forthcoming events from our meetings.

Science Without Pedestals 11 February 2017Religion in Schools 22 February 2017

Another easy way you can help our group grow is by indicating your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and the opportunity to discover other interesting groups in your area).

To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:
http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/
 
Thank you for helping us to develop a thriving non-religious community in our area.

West Dorset Humanists

WDH
Our sister group in Dorset, West Dorset Humanists (WDH) also organise some really interesting events, so if you are in or near Dorchester why not pay them a visit.
 
They usually meet on the last Thursday of every month at 7.30pm at The Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High St. West, Dorchester DT1 1UP.
 
Click here to view West Dorset Humanists related posts on this website.

For more info, including details of forthcoming WDH meetings, contact Jo on 07921 311518, or email westdorsethumanists(at)hotmail.co.uk
 
Click here to visit West Dorset Humanists’ website. (Oct 2013: link updated to their new website)

Religion for Atheists

Religion for Atheists Poster Thursday 26th July 7.30pm
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW

In his latest book, Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false, yet he also claims religions still offer a wealth of ideas that can help the non-religious to:

  • - Build a sense of community
  • - Strengthen our relationships
  • - Improve our appreciation of the arts

David Warden will outline De Botton’s key suggestions, and we’ll discuss how the non-religious might benefit from adopting the best bits of religion into our lives.

Come and join us for a thought-provoking evening, as we discuss this “beautifully written book”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

If you can help us promote this event by displaying an A4 poster, please email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF copy.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Events Programme Update

DH programme June - Oct 2012Our latest events programme taking us right up to October 2012 is now available for download.

The new line-up of events includes David Warden recounting the life and works of Bertrand Russell, one of the twentieth centuries most fascinating characters, another helping of ethical dilemmas from  the movies in Filmosophy 2, and an examination of apologists’ efforts to rationalise their beliefs.

For details of all these events and more, download your copy of the the latest Dorset Humanists Events Programme here.  

(Please check the website, bulletins and/or facebook for any last minute updates to our event schedule).

Click here to view details of forthcoming and recent events posted on the website.

A Humanist Manifesto

Manifesto PosterSaturday 14th July 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW

Are you fed up with bankers’ bonuses, religious schools, house prices, student fees, and incompetent government?

If you think it’s time for Humanists to turn their principles into a political programme, you might be surprised to know Humanist Parties already exist in many countries, including the UK. We’ll be considering some of their policies and discussing our views on what a Humanist Manifesto should look like; covering poverty, wealth, education, international aid, crime, taxation, marriage, and much more. Our discussions will be followed by a delicious Strawberry Cream Tea (A £2.50 charge applies for Cream Tea).

Come and join us for a thought-provoking afternoon and a delicious strawberry cream tea.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

If you can help us promote this event by displaying an A4 poster, please email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF copy.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Philosophy, Science and the God Debate

Philosophy, Science & God Thursday 28th June 7.30pm
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown, Bournemouth BH9 1TW

There’s been a forceful backlash against the ‘new atheism’ of writers like Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, inspiring a new wave of Christian apologists. This group includes: Alister McGrath, Professor of Theology at King’s College London, Keith Ward, former Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.

Many atheists make the mistake of assuming religion is wholly irrational, relying on faith alone but, in a series of interviews recorded for DVD, the apologetics heavyweights from the list above demonstrate their ability to challenge us with reasoned arguments.

We will be watching the film and discussing how Humanists and atheists can best respond to this new wave of reinvigorated apologetics. Come along and join the discussion.

Free entry (donations appreciated)   

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

June Bulletin and Newsletter

DW 6298984 (crop)Fancy a break from the Diamond Jubilee? Come along to Dorset Humanists this Saturday to discover the perfect antidote!

"Bombs, Bloomsbury and Bertrand Russell" promises to be a fascinating exploration into one of the great intellectual figures of the twentieth century, whose private life was as colourful as his public persona.  Yet some enigmas remain about this complex man.  Despite his uncompromising rationalism, Russell had, in some respects, a religious temperament.  And how did he recover from public disgrace and near destitution in the 1940s to become a media celebrity in the 1950s?  Come along to Moordown on Saturday, 9th June at 2pm to find out. 

Also in the June Bulletin: details about World Humanist Day, a joint lunch with South Hants Humanists, our Summer Garden Party in Sturminster Marshall, a lively debate about homelessness in our Readers' Column, and the latest Chairman's View

Look out for lots of activity coming up for the Summer - we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes,
David Warden
Chair, Dorset Humanists

Click here to view details of our forthcoming and recent events.

Link to June Bulletin: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9oYzJ_dRvVEMVhhNjNrWGIxdVE/edit

June ‘Chairman’s View’: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9oYzJ_dRvVEV3VuZ0tBZDJublE/edit

BHA 3 day Conference 'Beyond Tomorrow: Visions of the future', Cardiff


Organisers: British Humanist Association http://bhaconference.org.uk/

When: Friday 8 June – Sunday 10 June 2012
Where: National Museum Cardiff

The theme of the 2012 BHA conference is the future! Visions of the future that range from the apocalyptic to the utopian abound all through our culture and in almost all cultures we know of.

- What is the most likely future for humanity now?
- What are the developments that will shape that future?
- What are the threats to a better future?
- What are the opportunities for a better future?
- How can we make a better future?
- What are our moral obligations to the future of the planet? Do we have any?
- What are our moral obligations to future generations? Do we have any?
- If humanity is wiped out does it matter?

We will help to unravel some of the pressing questions and take a humanist look at representations of the future in art, literature, and science.

Talks, conversations, and open discussion with contributors http://bhaconference.org.uk/contributors/ including:-

- internet technologist, journalist, author, and broadcaster Ben Hammersley

- the world’s first cyborg, Kevin Warwick - one of only 7 eminent scientists to illustrate the ethical impact their scientific work can have: the others being Galileo, Einstein, Curie, Nobel, Oppenheimer and Rotblat.

- Aleks Krotoski ‘how information spreads around social networks'

- Professor of the History of Political Thought - Gregory Claeys 'utopianism'

- former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government Professor Sir David King on 'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath_for_Scientists' & 'climate change'.

- Paul McAuley - sci-fi writer and botanist

- barrister, environmental lawyer author Polly Higgins on 'ecocide';

- musician, comedian, public speaker, and author, Mark Stevenson on 'futurology'

- 'Population Matters' chief exec Simon Ross on sustainable world population


- Entertainment on the Friday night features comedy and quizes, and a gala dinner on the Saturday evening will include the presentation of an award for services to Humanism.

The conference is a chance to meet fellow humanists and discover more about what we know, and can hope to know, about the universe from a number of humanist perspectives.

Accessible to all levels of interest, delegates will hear scientists and writers, philosophers, and entertainers as they wrangle with such subjects as optimism, imagination, and making a better world.

Tickets are available from the BHA website.
General public: £156 http://www.humanism.org.uk/shop/135
BHA members’ tickets: £120 http://www.humanism.org.uk/shop/134
Students / AHS members: £100 http://www.humanism.org.uk/shop/136